Bioaccumulation is the slow process of increasing chemical content in a living organism over time. This happens either because the chemical is taken up faster than it can be used. It is also because the chemical cannot be broken down for use by the organism. Compounds that are harmful to health, such as mercury, can accumulate in living tissues of organism. Contamination with mercury is a good example of the bioaccumulation process. Usually, mercury is taken up by phytoplankton and bacteria. Small fish consume the phytoplankton and bacteria and accumulate the mercury. The small fish are in turn consumed by larger fish, which can become food for humans and animals. The result can be the buildup of large concentrations of mercury in human and …show more content…
Bioaccumulation
Process of Bioaccumulation
When a chemical penetrates an organism's cells from the environment, a process called bioaccumulation begins. One type of bioaccumulation is uptake, which is a complex process that is still not fully understood. Researchers have learned that chemicals tend to move, passively from a place of high concentration to one of low concentration. There are many factors that may increase the chemical potential of certain substances.
Some chemicals do not mix well with water because they tend to move out of water and enter the cells of an organism, where there are lipophilic microenvironments. The same factors affecting the uptake of a chemical continue to operate inside an organism, obstructing a chemical's return to the outer environment of the cell. Some chemicals are attracted to certain sites that they are temporarily stored by attaching to proteins or dissolving in fats. If the uptake of chemical slows or is not continued, or if the chemical is not very tightly bound in the cell, the body can eventually eliminate the
…show more content…
Many metabolic reactions change a chemical into more water soluble forms called metabolites, which are readily excreted. There are exceptions, however. Natural pyrethrins, insecticides that are derived from the chrysanthemum plant, are highly fat-soluble pesticides, but they are easily degraded and do not accumulate. The insecticide chlorpyrifos, which is less fat-soluble but more poorly degraded, tends to bioaccumulate. Factors affecting metabolism often determine whether a chemical achieves its bioaccumulation potential in a given
To understand the human gut health and aetiology, the first step is to understand the gastrointestinal (GI) microflora and its distribution through the digestive system [2]. The human GI tract is inhabited by trillions of microorganisms, which together is known as the microbiota [5]. These microorganisms come from both archeal and bacterial domains. Bacteria are the predominant kingdom of organisms and it is composed mainly by five bacterial phyla: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia [3]. The great majority of mammalian gut microbiota belongs to the three phyla: the Gram-negative anaerobe Bacteroidetes, the Gram-positive Actinobacteria and Firmicutes [5].
Ecosystems are the basic biological units of ecology, and consist of biotic organisms and their interactions amongst other living organisms, as well as the surrounding abiotic environment (Putman and Wratten 1984). One facet of ecosystems that is less-often mentioned is the process of decomposition, as it many may view it as an unclean, unpleasant process that occurs after an organism has ceased to exist. To those with an ecological framework, however, decomposition is viewed as the opposite – an interesting, intricate process teeming with biological activity and life (Swan and Kominoski 2012). What is decomposition? Formally, decomposition is defined as the process to which complex organic matter is broken down to its basic constituents (i.e.
Discerning the spatial patterns of biodiversity and understanding their ultimate (why) and proximate (how) causes is very dear to biogeography and is one of the key concepts of Macro ecology. Some places on earth contain more species as compared to others. All species occurring at a given space and time either originated (speciated) there or dispersed and arrived from another place and settled there. Biogeographers try to understand the past and current distributions of species by incorporating historical, evolutionary and ecological factors. Earlier biogeographers or the ‘naturalists’ in their sacred quest to serve ‘the creator’, travelled to various parts of the world and imparted valuable knowledge about the diverse patterns and processes of nature. Linnaeus (1743), on the one hand, hypothesized that early Earth was filled with water except for it’s highest mountain top i.e., Mount Ararat which was known to be the site of paradise and as the sea level dropped the exposed land was colonized by plants and animals that migrated down from high elevational zones of Mount Ararat whereas Willdenow (1805) hypothesized that within each geographical region of the earth, plants and animals were first placed and later survived the great flood on many mountain ranges (Lomolino,2001). Von Humboldt and Darwin in the South American Andes and Wallace Southeast Asian islands noticed the decreasing trend in elevational species richness patterns (McCain and Grytnes, 2010). Later work done by Grinnell (1917), Whittaker (1952), Terborgh (1977, 1985) on elevational species richness became accepted and set a established pattern for all species for more than two decades (McCain and Grytnes, 2010). However current researches on elevational gradients are...
Poisons come in different forms and act in different ways. They can act locally, absorption through the body, or both. There are three different categories that poisons are put into: inorganic, organic, and asphyxiants...
Biomedical engineering is a branch of science that connects engineering sciences with biological sciences that started around the 1940s (Citron & Nerem, 2004). Biomedical engineering is the discipline that promotes learning in engineering, biology, chemistry, and medicine. The objective for biomedical engineers is to enhance human health by incorporating engineering and biomedical sciences to solve problems. Some of the accomplishments made from biomedical engineering are prosthetics, robotic and laser surgery, implanted devices, imaging devices, nanotheranostics and artificial intelligence. As we head towards the future, biomedical engineering is anticipated to become an even greater part of the medical industry and bring about innovating
Hats off to bacteria! This article summarizes that bacteria are good for our body and help us function a lot better. Bacteria live in our guts, in our mouths, and on our skin. Overuse of antibiotics has disturbed the bacterial ecosystem, possibly so much that it is irreversible. In 1999 Lawrence Brandt a professor of medicine and surgery at the Albert Einstein College of medicine had success when trying to help a patient combat diarrhea induced by clostridium difficile. A patient developed diarrhea after taking a course of antibiotics for sinusitis; nothing could shake her C.difficile infection. Brandt reasoned the initial antibiotic treatment had killed gut bacteria that promote digestive health; not knowing which strain to replace, he transplanted stool form her husband. That night she reported marked improvement- for the first time in six months. This procedure has helped patients, but hopefully in the future doctors will be able to administer the particular strain of bacteria that is needed. 99% of the bacteria we harbor are resistant to culture in the lab. It was this impossible to study bacteria until the last decade or so, when DNA sequencing techniques allowed researchers to obtain gene sequences from as little as one bacterial cell. With this researchers found that bacteria cells in our bodies outnumber our human cells. Bacterial exposure throughout our lifetime is needed for our wellbeing, thinking, and functioning, contributing to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, allergies, asthma, and atherosclerosis, as well as to anxiety and mood and cognition disorders. These conditions have become more prominent because of our obsession with sanitation has eliminated the exposure to bacteria humans used to routinely get throu...
Reading up information and searching for clues (which were not extremely easy), turns out to have broadened my knowledge on Nature and Biomimicry itself and that there are so many people already using wind turbines to harvest the winds energy and know how the world can be saved. Therefore I have come to the conclusion and have seen that my hypothesis has been proven right.
Microbes are microscopic life forms, usually too small to be seen by the naked eye. Although many microbes are single-celled, there are also numerous multi-cellular organisms. The human body has 10-100 trillion microbes living on it, making it one giant super-organism. Since the first link between microbes and diseases was made, people have been advised to wash their hands. Scientists, however, have recently started to investigate more closely how the microbes that call the human body home affect our health. While some microbes cause disease, others are more beneficial, working with our bodies in many subtle ways.
The type seen throughout the human body involve enzyme catalysis. Enzymes are present throughout many key bodily processes and keep the body from malfunctioning. An enzyme catalyzes a reaction by having the substrate bind to its active site.2 This is known as the Lock and Key Theory, which states that only the correctly oriented key (substrate) fits into the key hole (active site) of the lock (enzyme).2 Although this theory makes sense, not all experimental data has explained this concept completely.2 Another theory to better accurately explain this catalysis is known as the Induced-Fit Theory.2 This theory explains how the substrate determines the final form of the enzyme and shows how it is moderately flexible.2 This more accurately explains why some substrates, although fit in the active site, do not react because the enzyme was too distorted.2 Enzymes and substrates only react when perfectly aligned and have the same
Leboffe, M. J., & Pierce, B. E. (2010). Microbiology: Laboratory Theory and Application, Third Edition 3rd Edition (3rd Ed.). Morton Publishing
There are many enzyme-catalyzed reactions that occur in cells through control mechanisms, which keep humans in chemical balance. There are two systems that have a major responsibility for regulating body chemistry known as the endocrine system and nervous system. The endocrine system depends on chemical messengers that flow in the bloodstream known as hormones. Hormones travel to target cells, where they connect with receptors that initiate chemical changes within cells. The nervous system depends on neurotransmitters that are electrical impulses in nerve cells activated by its own chemical messengers. The nervous system counts on a much faster means of circulation. This cycle is what allows drugs to work so well, because they mimic the crucial role of hormones and neurotransmitters in the function of the human body.
Many people don't know what biomedical engineers do. A biomedical engineer’s job is actually quite interesting. They analyze and create solutions to improving the quality and effectiveness of patient care. They also design technology to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. They have a big role in helping people begin new lives. The main job of a biomedical engineer is to help create prosthetic limbs or organs for those who are in need of one.
Biotechnology in food uses genes of plants,microorganisms and animals that have desired production or nutrition related characteristics. The tools that are used in food biotechnology include traditional breeding ,such as cross breeding,and many modern techniques that have to do with using what is known about genes or orders for specific traits to better the quality and quantity of plant species. Food biotechnology modifies the production of fruits and vegetables that ripen on the vine for a better fresher taste. Different type of foods also benefit from food biotechnology .Foods that are developed using biotechnology are studied very carefully and judge by many governing agencies, health expects and scientists all over the world. Biotechnology can assist in the improve ment of the safety of food by reducing the naturally occurring toxins and allergens in different types of food .Food biotechnology is one of many tools farmers and food producers can use to give a food supply that is affordable,safe,convenient and sustainable
Biogeochemical cycle is crucial for every living organism on Earth. It is strongly influenced by life forms, especially plants and microorganisms. A biogeochemical cycle can be defined as a continuous pathway by which conversion and circulation of chemical nutrients through both biotic and abiotic compartments of Earth (Butcher, 1992). Generally, biogeochemical cycles can be classified into three major categories which are nitrogen cycle, sulfur cycle and carbon cycle (Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
Bioterrorism is an attack that involve by releasing bacteria, viruses and other harmful agents which can caused illness or death. Most of these agents can found in nature.